Review: Sticks & Sushi

If you love sushi and haven’t been to Sticks’n’Sushi – you’re missing out big time!

It was founded in 1994 by brothers Jens and Kim Rahbek and Thor Andersen. Taking inspiration from their half-Japanese, half-Danish background, they created a unique cuisine that combines two culinary traditions.

They very kindly invited Bitten along to try out their new menu recently, and here’s the low down…

First up, the bevs.

If you’re partial to a cocktail, this is hunna p the place for you. We tried the special ‘Murasaki Sour’ which was like a sour parma voilet – smooth and fruity with a kick, the Hibiscus Margarita and the Whisky Miso Sour. All gorgeous and dangerously more-ish.

Personally, if you’ve not eaten here before, or if you’re prone to decision paralysis (me, all the time) I’d highly recommend ordering one of their set menus. They combine all the best bits and there’s always a very healthy amount of food. Also perfect for sharing.

We ordered the ‘Carpe Diem’ set menu which involved lots of gorgeously cooked veg, croquettes, tempura, a big mix of fresh sushi and sashimi, and some of their signature ‘sticks’ (meat/fish/veg grilled).

Everything was SO fresh, perfectly seasoned and of course, beautifully presented. Almost looked too good to eat (we managed though don’t worry..).

Stars of the show were the tempura shrimp (dipped in what looked like rice crispies, super crunchy exterior which opened up to the softest, plumpest prawns in the land), the crab croquettes which oozed their way into my mouth, the chicken teryaki meatballs (the teryaki was like an explosion of flavour, punchy and salty) and the scallops wrapped in bacon and miso – anything with miso is immediately delicious.

We weren’t the biggest fans of the goat’s cheese wrapped in cured ham, the chunks of cheese were SO big, it just made the whole thing a bit overpowering and sickly. Everything else felt so well balanced and perfectly curated, this felt a little off.

As always, no room for dessert at all, but we had some anyway, obvs.

We shared the dark chocolate matcha fondant and the creme brulee. I’ve not actually dipped a toe in the matcha world yet (despite it taking over the world) so wasn’t sure what to expect with this but we were both pleasantly surprised. The matcha wasn’t too strong and complemented its chocolate home well, and the vanilla ice cream proving the hot and cold dessert combo is always a winner. The creme brulee was good – nothing to write home about but the right level of crunch and cream for sure.

Overall, I’d definitely recommend a trip here. It’s not the cheapest spot so not somewhere you’d spontaneously pop to for a Tuesday lunch break, but for a special occasion or celebration it’s perfect. The staff are incredibly attentive and knowledgable, the decor is classy and the views of Oxford from the top of Westgate don’t hurt either.